The Unreleased Nikes President Obama Got First

The Nike MTM includes the company's first and most recent Air Jordan models: the Air Jordan I, at right, and Air Jordan XX9, respectively.Credit

What do you give to the man who has everything — no, really, everything, including a bowling alley in his house? Nike has an answer that’s hard to top: When President Obama visited the company’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., earlier this month, he was the first person on Earth to receive the soon-to-be-released MTM, a new two-pair pack Nike is releasing in June in celebration of 30 years of Air Jordan. MTM is named for the three men who designed the two pairs in collaboration: Nike C.E.O. Mark Parker and designer Tinker Hatfield and, of course, Michael Jordan himself. “The MTM is a great way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan franchise,” Jordan says of the collaboration. “It was a lot of fun to work with Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker on reimagining two of the best shoes we have ever created.”

The MTM bookends the history of the world’s most recognizable sneaker: It contains a pair of Air Jordan I, the silhouette first released in 1985, and a pair of Air Jordan XX9, the most recent model released last fall. The Jordan I shoes have been updated with FlyWeave construction in black and gray, while the XX9s have been reimagined in sleek black leather. “Tinker and I had been talking for some time about doing a Jordan project together and there wasn’t a more powerful way to do it than by working with Michael himself,” Parker says. “We’re already working on the next MTM project, which will push Jordan to a new place.” A pair to complement Hillary Clinton’s pantsuit tee, perhaps?

The two-pair MTM release, $700, will be available June 13 at Nike Lab P75 in Paris and June 26 at jordan.com and select Jordan retailers.